


the witch in the woods

by greedlings



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, the charas literally have no name so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:55:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22768114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greedlings/pseuds/greedlings
Summary: When the eldest princess disappeared without a trace one day, rumors spread throughout the kingdom.None of them were right. Not entirely, at least.
Relationships: OC/OC
Comments: 8
Kudos: 5





	the witch in the woods

**Author's Note:**

> it's my ao3 and i can post orig if i want!!
> 
> this is a rewrite of something i wrote in 2016! i think it was really fun to look back at my writing, and i really did enjoy both writing and reading the original piece, so ofc i opted to rewrite it when there was no inspiration in my bones haha. i kept it as close to the original as i could, i kept the same pacing and everything and just rewrote it so it's the way i would write it now!!
> 
> you can find the original here (https://greecllings.tumblr.com/post/148269564083/her-story-changed-depending-on-who-you-asked) !

Her story changed depending on who you asked.

Some said she fled the kingdom; _queen_ to her was the world to Atlas, and her elegant shoulders were simply not built to carry that weight. So she chose to run away, leaving that weight for her younger sister, far better suited to rule than she ever would be.

Few spread rumors of conspiracy; the king and queen knew that if their oldest were to take the throne, she would shatter the kingdom like glass. It wouldn’t be on purpose, of course, but they couldn’t risk it. They _could_ risk taking her out of the picture, however, and that’s exactly what they did. There would be no proof, either, the only stains the red of spilled wine and tears not for their lost daughter, but for their kingdom.

Most, however, believed that the princess's disappearance had been the work of a witch. She had disappeared without any trace; there were no footsteps or trail of jewels or breadcrumb trail, she was simply there one day and gone the next. The only way this seemed possible was witchcraft.

Of course, they had no way to know that, in a strange way, they were all somewhat right.

  
  


It had been the youngest princess's idea.

Her sister confided in her; the eldest dreamed of adventure and freedom and her upcoming coronation would rip what little shreds of hope of that life she had from her trembling fingers. Her tears stained her sister’s bedsheets as she mourned the life she’d never be able to live.

Though the younger sister did not understand--all her life she’d lived envious of her sister's birthright--she could not stand to see her sister in so much pain. She told her sister of a passage she had discovered in the halls of the castle, a small, dusty hole behind an old wooden door hidden behind a grand tapestry that seemed to lead out of the castle.

She led her there, gave her a tearful hug, wished her dear elder sister luck, and watched her leave through the door. She closed the door behind her sister, a sad smile tugging at her lips.

  
  


Though the princess was lost, there was a feeling of lightness in her chest. The world weighed no more on her frail shoulders, and for the first time since the day she first saw her perfect baby sister, the princess felt nothing but joy. 

She was still lost, though, and being lost in the woods could mean a fate worse than death. So she followed the small but clear path she had found weaving through the trees, hoping there was someone who could help her at the end. 

And, when she was about to lose all hope, she found a small wooden cottage tucked in a small clearing.

  
  


There was a knock on the door. It was a gentle knock, as if the knocker was not sure if they should be knocking, yet the sound was still clear. No one ever knocked on my door, and yet here someone was.

The knock came again, more confident this time, the clear _tap, tap tap, tap_ echoing through the silence. I shook my head, freeing myself from my confusion, and opened the door.

Her hands lifted the torn fabric of a once stunning dress, curtsying gracefully on my doorstep. Eyes as brown and rich as the earth we stood met mine when she stood, her hair, darker than the moonless sky, dancing in the wind around her face.

When she asked if she could find a bed for a few nights--or maybe longer, she wasn't sure yet where she would go and what she would do--I said yes. Who was I to turn her down? She needed a place to stay, and the woods are a dangerous place to be alone

  
  


It took time, but eventually I became used to her. The way her nose would turn up in disappointment or disgust; how she would watch, eyes wide as I prepared potions; her breathy, superficial laugh--and her real one, a deep and loud and joyful sound that you could not help but join in.

I became used to me as well. The frustration I would feel if something upset her; the tug in my chest when she would watch me or when I made her laugh; the way the night seemed calmer as I watched her sleep, her breathing deep and slow and so, so gentle.

But there was one feeling in my chest that I never got used to. One day, she would leave and I would be alone again. After all, what reason was there for her to stay?

  
  


She told me one day as we sat under the stars that she had lied to me. 

She wasn’t a commoner like she had said. She was the missing princess, the true heir to the kingdom’s throne. Tears slid down her cheeks as she told me, her hands trembling in the grass.

_Why_ , I asked, raising a hand to wipe her tears, _are you crying?_

_Because_ , she hiccuped, _I’m scared that you will leave me._

_I will never leave you._ The words passed through my lips without second thought, but as I said them I realized that nothing had ever felt so right.

She smiled a weak smile and said _nor I you_ before letting herself fall into my arms. I wrapped my arms around her. She smelled like fresh peaches and the earth and like _home_ , and she felt so small wrapped in my arms.

She slept on my bed that night, curled up against my side. It was so gentle and calm, and I could not help but watch her as she slept, a smile on my lips.

But she had no reason to stay. We were night and day; she was cheerful and outgoing and a _princess_. She was beautiful, the waves of her hair were smooth and defined, rivaled only by the ocean itself--and even then, she was a clear victor. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, curiosity, _light_ , no matter what she was faced with.

So why would she waste her time with me?

  
  


_I’ll be back shortly, my love_

I smiled at the note on the small table. My eyes traced the handwriting; elegant and refined, and yet still messy and free. Just like her.

I was making breakfast when she returned, sliding a small pancake from the skillet to the plate. I remember greeting her, though I didn’t turn to face her. I remember saying _I thought pancakes would be a good breakfast for us to share, my dear_.

And I remember turning around to find her holding a small bouquet of wildflowers and a makeshift ring.

  
  


She was royalty; no mere peasant was worthy of her, her glowing eyes, her brilliant smile.

She was ethereal; the way the sky cleared only to reveal the sun. The sun, who wove her hair with strands of their light, smiling for her and only her.

No one on this Earth, no, the solar system, scratch, in the universe, was worthy.

But she chose me.

Her eyes met mine, and I melted. Her hand brushed mine, and fireworks exploded inside my chest. Her lips met mine, and I knew that I, less than a mortal, was undeserving of her.

But she was mine, and I was hers.

**Author's Note:**

> comments are always appreciated <3<3<3
> 
> you can find me on tumblr @/greecllings and on twitter @/greedlings_ !!


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